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Bluffton hearts & darts

Posted: June 15, 2014 - 12:11am

Savannah

VOTERS GO TO POLLS IN STATE PRIMARIES

Hearts ... to the voters and candidates who participated in Tuesday’s state primary elections.

It was a good night for incumbents in Beaufort County as incumbent Councilmen Jerry Stewart, Paul Sommerville and Stu Rodman defeated their Republican primary challengers. Stewart garnered 66 percent of the vote against fellow Sun City resident Stephen Bacon and will likely run unopposed for his third council term in November.

On the state level, incumbent U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott fended off their challengers, though they will face Democratic opponents this fall.

South Carolina’s primaries didn’t get as much attention as they did in 2012 or will in 2016, when it will help decide that year’s presidential candidates, but it’s important for voters to remain a part of the electoral process in midterm years such as this one.

We encourage those who didn’t vote Tuesday to do so in November.

FEW SEATS CONTESTED LOCALLY

Darts ... to low turnout and few contested races.

While we praise those who got involved, we must also express our disappointment that only 12.48 percent of Beaufort County’s registered votes cast ballots Tuesday.

The large number of uncontested races probably had something to do with the lack of participation. There were no primaries for the governor’s race and quite a few local representatives are facing no opposition.

County Councilmen Tabor Vaux of Bluffton and Rick Caporale and Steve Fobes of Hilton Head Island were unopposed, as were U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, state Sen. Tom Davis and state Reps. Bill Herbkersman and Weston Newton.

We are sure there’s no shortage of qualified, informed Beaufort County residents who could make strong contributions to local government by running for office. We hope they will step up the next time around.

CAMPS GIVE AREA CHILDREN UNIQUE EXPERIENCE

Hearts ... to another Week of Champions.

The series of free sports camps with a Christian message returned to the area last week with a host of former professional and college athletes on hand to teach our children about athletic, faith and life.

This is the second year the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has directed Week of Champions, which was founded in 1978 by Gary and Wanda Wetherington of Hilton Head. FCA’s involvement has clearly been a success, with more kids signing up, new sports being added and unique experiences like this year’s NASCAR demonstrations.

Events like these — staffed by volunteers and open to children whose families may not be able to afford other summer camps — reveal the giving spirit of our Lowcountry community.

SCHOOL DISTRICT MUST TRIM BUDGET

Darts ... to budget cuts coming for the Beaufort County School District.

County council decided Monday the district’s proposed budget for next year must be cut by about $4 million, an unfortunate but seemingly necessary mandate to avoid a large tax increase. Council voted 9-2 to set tax revenue collections at about $114.9 million, the level it approved last year before inaccurate projections led to a $4 million shortfall for the district.

The district was requesting a $10 million increase from this year’s budget to cover growing enrollment and unfunded state mandates, which would have necessitated a 7.2-mill tax increase. It already has identified several areas to cut, including recently-approved state funding for literacy coaches, expanded career and technical programs and a teacher incentive program.

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